durability of the d35

[93xplorersport]

i just hope its the right choice lol. a Aussie in the back and a ls with man hubs in the front sounds like it would be a good set up.. 3/4 of everything i do now is in 2wd and i can go through some and climb some stuff with a open axle and 3.27 gears that's not to bad but driver skill and the right tires do help i guess... im not new to the forum but im still new to off roading and i want to make a good choice so im not to kick myself in the a## afterwards making a expensive choice.

 

[jd4242]

I think your be very happy with that setup.just remember with an open or ls in the front,you have to lock both hubs.i know some people(no names) that has forgot to lock both.haha

 

[FROADER]

That setup will be just fine for you. It was my setup in both of my explorers and was very happy with their performance.

 

[93xplorersport]

would it be better to put the locker in the back or the front? and also how difficult would it be to install a ls?

 

[4x4junkie]

If you're installing only one locker, I'd definitely suggest putting it in the rear. The rear tends to do more "pushing" the vehicle up something than the front does "pulling".
Having the locker in the rear will cause it to be noticeable in everyday driving on the street however, whereas up front with the hubs unlocked, you'd never know it's there until you lock it in 4WD.

Installing either a locker or L/S is about the same amount of work (except in the case of drop-in type lockers such as the Aussie, which are easier since they reuse the existing diff carrier).

 

[jd4242]

Do you have a ls or open in the back?now would be a good time to think about picking up a 2nd gen rearend that is open.definitely do a locker in the rear not the front if you only plan on doing one.takes aboit 15mins to install a aussie in a open rearend.

 

[93xplorersport]

My front and rear axles are both open. And I thought it would be better putting the locker in the back but I just wanted to make sure I was thinkin right

 

[Glasken]

Gonna necro this thread to add my 2c. My 1st gen started with open diff front and rear. Swapped the rear with a 2nd gen with a tired limited slip. Finally, regeared the rear, refurbed the rear limited slip and added a jeep trac-loc up front.

Impressions so far:

Open diffs - fine for the occasional trail run, poor rock crawling performance, lots of skinny pedal.

Tired LS in rear - better than open diffs, can feel the rear grabbing more especially up steep inclines. Better rock performance, but nothing to write home about.

Very tight LS refurb rear, trac-loc LS up front - Night and day difference over the former options. We went this rout because lockers were expensive and we were on a shoestring budget, so lots of junkyard parts. The rear is overshimmed, had to shave the axles a bit to clear the crosspin. It provides good performance in rocks, but will wear much faster than normal. Front LS has proven useful in all but the most jagged rock crawls. Getting a front tire off the ground still results in some loss of traction, but it is leagues better than an open diff up front.

OP - did you ever finish your installs? What do you think? How does it perform? Anything you would do differently?